Elián González Took His First Selfie and Wants to Join Facebook

Elián González, the young Cuban immigrant who was torn from his uncle's house in Florida and deported to Cuba in 2000, is now 21, and he wants to be able to come back and visit America. González was only six when Border Patrol entered his relatives' home and forcibly removed him before sending him back to his father in Cuba. A picture taken during the operation, of a mustachioed officer pointing a gun at González's terrified face, won the 2001 Pulitzer for Breaking News.

Now, González has spoken to ABC News about his life as an adult in Cuba. He says he'd like to visit the United States as a tourist to "thank those people who helped [him]" and to visit DC. González was rescued from the ocean separating Cuba from Florida after a boat carrying him, his mother, and other would-be immigrants capsized. His mother did not survive.

ABC News Videos

|

ABC Entertainment News

"I remember when the boat capsized, when we fell on the sea," González told ABC. "I remember when I was put on the raft and my mom was covering me and I was raising my head, looking around… and at some point I raised my head and I didn't see her again … I was alone in the middle of the sea."

González is engaged to his high school sweetheart, 22-year-old Ilianet Escaño, and ABC helped him take his first selfie with his fiancée. He says he will use the photo as his Facebook profile picture just as soon as he has enough internet in Cuba to sign up for an account. God bless America.

1. You Might Be Able to Take a Ferry from Florida to Cuba Next Fall 2. 'Havana Motor Club' Looks at the Glory and Ingenuity Behind Cuba's Underground Drag Racing Scene 3. The Future of Cuba's Ballet Diplomacy 4. Cuba's Young, Salsa-Dancing Male Hustlers Are Going to Be Seducing a Lot More Rich Americans